When Does the Homework End?
by Kuronue's Hat
Summary: [AU] Life is all about homework and soccer for Kuwabara...until he meets Yukina, the sister of a soccer star from another school. Luckily, Kurama is there to help Kuwabara. Of course, the fact that Kurama is Hiei's boyfriend is an advantage.
1. Chapter 1

1

Kuwabara Kazuma jogged across the soccer field, hearing his cleats squeaking loudly on the damp grass. His socks were soaked, his jersey was plastered onto his back from perspiration, and he was starting to develop an uncomfortable burning in the back of his nose from running too much, but there was only a minute left in the game. He was determined to see this through to the end.

"Kuwabara!" Daiou Koenma shouted as a warning. Kuwabara glanced up and watched as his teammate passed the ball. Kuwabara sped up so that he could dribble properly, but was soon met with one of Kasane's defenders.

"Over here!" Urameshi Yusuke yelled. Kuwabara pulled backward with the sole of his left foot and kicked, but a Kasane player charged out of nowhere and took possession of the ball. Yusuke chased the player, reclaiming the ball after a moment, and fled down the field with Koenma on his heels. Kuwabara hunched over, gasping for breath and watching as Yusuke and Koenma made their way toward Kasane's goal.

"Yikes!" Koenma yelped, stumbling as a short player in a black Kasane jersey effortlessly stole the ball from him. The Kasane player dashed back across the field, his movements quick and smooth as he evaded each of the Sarayashiki defenders. _That runt has been hogging the ball ever since the game started_, Kuwabara thought with frustration, watching as the small player launched the ball past the goalkeeper.

"_GOAL!_" Koto screamed into her microphone as the ball spun into the net with enough force to bounce back and smack the goalkeeper in the back of the head. Koto's voice boomed through the speakers and resounded over the stands, which were packed with at least a hundred spectators from both Kasane High and Sarayashiki High. "_A fantastic goal for Kasane High by Jaganshi Hiei! Kasane wins with a score of 8-6!_"

There were a number of disappointed groans from his teammates, and then the coach was calling for them to leave the field. As Kuwabara entered the locker room and headed for one of the shower stalls, he heard Yusuke and Koenma behind him, already discussing the game.

"I can't believe we lost," Yusuke commented, tugging his dark blue jersey over his head and tossing the damp garment into his gym bag. He opened his locker and grabbed a fresh pair of blue jeans and a dark, sleeveless top. Sweaty clumps of ebony hair were hanging over his brown eyes, having been washed of the gel that usually tamed it. "We normally have no problem thrashing Kasane. Any idea who that new guy is?"

"Jaganshi Hiei," Koenma answered immediately as he undressed. He mussed up his hair when he pulled the jersey over his head, and quickly smoothed the chocolate strands back into place. "He's a new kid in Kasane. I think Botan said that he transferred from some other school a month ago."

"Well, that guy is really good. Too bad he couldn't have transferred to Sarayashiki instead," Yusuke said. His eyes took on a look of longing. "Can you imagine how good we would be if he was on our team? I bet we could probably even make the sectionals..."

"Keep dreaming, Yusuke," Koenma laughed, thumping Yusuke on the back with one hand. "You know we would never make it. Even if we won against everyone else, we could never beat Rukafuchi High."

Kuwabara muttered gloomily as he threw his jersey on the floor and dropped his shorts. They were never going to get to the sectionals at this rate. Losing to Kasane High, which was regarded as the absolute worst team in the area, was an unquestionable sign of how far they had to go before they could reach the sectionals. _Damn that shrimp! We would have won if it weren't for him!_

After a quick shower, Kuwabara changed into some black trousers and a gray shirt. He zipped up the front of his dark blue hoodie and dug around in his gym bag, searching for his bottle of water. His dark eyes narrowed as he pushed some clean socks and an energy bar aside, not finding the elusive bottle where it should have been.

"What the... Hey, did one of you guys steal my water?"

"Mm?" One of the other players pulled his empty bottle of Dasani away from his mouth. "Oh, yeah. Sorry Kuwabara. Urameshi stole my water and gave it to his girlfriend, so I took yours. I'll buy you another—"

"Don't bother," Kuwabara grumbled moodily. He checked his wallet to make sure he had enough money, and then he grabbed the handles of his duffel and swung the bag over one of his shoulders.

After leaving the locker room, Kuwabara made his way toward the concession stand. _No line for concessions, there's a surprise. I guess everyone already left._

"Can I help you?" the person at the stand asked him in a sunny voice. Kuwabara glanced at her as a show of acknowledgment, glanced away...and then, very slowly, he turned to peer at her again.

The girl was smiling, her ruby eyes warm, and she was wearing a forest-green jacket over a lavender dress that closely hugged her slender body. The color of her hair made Kuwabara remember pictures he had seen of beaches in the Caribbean, all gathered in a braid that fell halfway down her back and secured by a red scrunchie. Her face was pale, lovely, and seemed to glow despite the fact that none of the sun's rays could sneak past the heavy cloud coverage.

Kuwabara stared. And stared.

"Can I help you?" the girl repeated patiently.

"Uh... Yeah? Can I have a water, please?" Now Kuwabara really needed one. His throat had gone dry.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler beside her and placed the bottle on the counter before him. Kuwabara handed over some money and picked up the bottle, and she beamed. He knew he should leave now, maybe find his sister before she drove home without him, but something was keeping him rooted to the spot. The girl blinked at him for a few moments, her smile replaced with a mildly curious look.

"Is there something else you wanted?" she asked.

"Um..." Kuwabara gulped nervously. "What's your name?"

"Koorime Yukina," the girl answered. "And you are...?"

"I'm Kuwabara Kazuma," Kuwabara answered, gaining some confidence. "I'm on Sarayashiki High's soccer team."

Yukina blinked, and then her eyes shone with recognition.

"Oh! Oh, yes, of course!" She beamed at him. "Your team played well today. It must have been hard, playing when the grass was wet. A few people had to be taken out of the game because they slipped and hurt themselves."

"Thanks. Yeah, we subbed a few players. It was pretty rough. Our clits—_cleats_!" Kuwabara felt his face heat up with mortification, and barely managed to stumble through the rest of what he wanted to say. "Our _cleats_ are supposed to h-help us dig into the ground, y-you know, b-b-but they don't help much when everything is all w-w-wet."

Yukina giggled, concealing her laughter behind one hand.

"I guess not. I don't play soccer much, but my brother—"

"—would like to know who you're talking to," a low voice finished casually. Yukina and Kuwabara turned, watching as a short boy walked toward them.

The boy had unruly black hair that gleamed blue in the dim sunshine, accented by a burst of white that contrasted boldly with the dark background. He was dressed in white pants and a black top with ragged holes where the sleeves had been torn off. His catlike eyes were a dark red, though they held none of the warmth Yukina's eyes possessed. Kuwabara mentally swore when he recognized the boy as the shrimp who had won the game for Kasane.

"Oh, right," Yukina said quickly, nodding at the shorter boy and flashing a sweet smile. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced you sooner. Hiei, this is Kuwabara Kazuma. Kazuma, this is my older brother, Jaganshi Hiei."

_A/N: All of the standard disclaimers apply. I know that the concept of everyone being in high school is somewhat cliché no matter what fandom you enter, but I don't think I have ever seen a story that focused on Kuwabara. So, for the record, this focuses on Kuwabara+Yukina and Kurama+Hiei, with a healthy dose of Yusuke+Keiko and Karasu+Kurama._


	2. Chapter 2

2

Kuwabara wandered across the soaked grass of Kasane High's front lawn, seeming no more aware than a person who was blind and deaf. His eyes were aimed at the ground as he walked, but they were not really seeing anything. The slump of his shoulders and the way he dragged his feet were clear indications of how he was feeling.

_"Oh, right," Yukina said quickly, nodding at the shorter boy and flashing a sweet smile. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced you sooner. Hiei, this is Kuwabara Kazuma. Kazuma, this is my older brother, Jaganshi Hiei."_

_Kuwabara stared at Yukina's brother for several moments. The shrimp had managed to beat Sarayashiki with virtually no assistance from his Kasane teammates. What was Kuwabara supposed to say to him?_

_Hiei did not seem to have any problems with self-confidence. He folded his arms over his chest arrogantly and dipped his head so that he was glaring up at Kuwabara through his fringe. Everything from his eyes to his posture conveyed bellicosity._

_"You're a player for Sarayashiki High," Hiei stated in a flat voice. "Guess your school will let anyone play if they can keep from tripping over their own feet. Wonder why they let you on the team, then?"_

_Kuwabara flinched at the comment. He had fallen on the wet grass during the first half of the game, but had been allowed to continue playing since he had not been injured. Hiei's reference was entirely unfair, since almost every other player on the field had slipped at least once, but Kuwabara could not really counter the low blow with Yukina watching. He swallowed his pride and barely managed to turn his cringe into a smile._

_"Sarayashiki is a small school. I guess I was the only chance they had of meeting the player quota," Kuwabara said in the most comical tone he could manage. Yukina giggled at the joke, and Hiei's eyes narrowed._

_"Huh. That's probably it," Hiei said, his tone disdainful. He snapped his eyes to the side, looking at his sister without turning his head. "Yukina, we should probably leave now. He was supposed to pick us up at five thirty, but my guess is that he is going to show up early."_

_"All right," Yukina said happily, seemingly unaware of how rude her brother had just been. Kuwabara guessed that the girl had become accustomed to Hiei's blatant aggression as an everyday occurrence. Yukina turned and offered a smile to Kuwabara. "It was nice talking to you, Kazuma. I hope we see each other again sometime."_

"Kazuma!"

Kuwabara glanced up at the sound of his own name, blinking several times to get his eyes back into focus. He glanced around, glimpsing the person who had been calling him. She was at the top of the stairs that led down to the parking area.

The girl was wearing a solid black blouse with the uppermost buttons left undone, and her dark green skirt fell halfway down her thighs, showing off the curves of her legs. She had pulled her honey-colored hair into a loose ponytail that hung over one of her shoulders, secured with a green scrunchie that matched her skirt, and she was jangling her keys in one hand, her face the very image of irritation.

"Five twenty. You said you would be ready to leave at five twenty," Kuwabara Shizuru told him. "You know what time it is now? I have a date with Sakyo in twenty minutes, and you know he doesn't like waiting."

"Sorry, Shizuru," Kuwabara mumbled, glancing down the stairs so that he wouldn't have to meet his sister's eyes. "I got distracted."

Shizuru sighed in annoyance and opened her mouth to say something, but her words fell on deaf ears. Kuwabara's eyes had locked on the parking lot, and nothing else seemed to be registering.

"I just don't think you should be picking fights, Hiei. You might get suspended from school again."

"Oh, shut up Kurama. I can do whatever I want."

"Do you _want_ to walk home, then?"

Yukina was seated in the back of a cherry-red convertible that managed to gleam even in the weak sunshine. Hiei stood outside of the car, glaring sulkily up at the person he was talking to.

The taller boy had a handsome face and a lean, graceful physique that most teenage girls would drool over. A flawless mane of hair tumbled all the way down his back, the color reminding Kuwabara of the tropical punch served in Sarayashiki High's cafeteria, and his eyes were a clear green. He was wearing some faded blue jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark blue one with short sleeves.

"Fine, I won't get into anymore fights," Hiei conceded with a sigh. The taller boy smiled, satisfied by this response, and pressed a quick kiss against Hiei's mouth before opening the passenger door. Hiei smirked as he sat down in the car, allowing the taller boy to close the door for him. Moments later, the redhead had gotten into the driver's seat, and the red convertible was pulling out of the parking area.

Kuwabara's mouth was hanging agape. It was an understandable reaction, considering how many good reasons he had to be shocked. One, the redheaded boy he had seen was Minamino Kurama, the president of Sarayashiki High's senior class. Two, he had just watched as Kurama drove away with a short, bad-tempered soccer player from Kasane. Three...

"Are you even listening to me?" Shizuru asked sharply.

"Yeah, sure," Kuwabara mumbled distractedly. But his thoughts were focused elsewhere.

_A/N: Introduced Kurama...kind of. If I get this right, Kuwabara actually gets around to talking to him next chapter._


	3. Chapter 3

3

When Kuwabara entered Sarayashiki High the following morning, the racket of the student body was enough to send him reeling. He stumbled backward, shook his head, and strode through the double doors of the school, barely keeping himself from covering his ears to protect them from the tumult.

As he made his way toward his locker, someone thumped him on the shoulder. He turned and glanced at Yusuke, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Hey, Kuwabara. Can you believe this crap?" Yusuke asked, waving a hand at the crowds around them. "They're getting all worked up over that Jaganshi Hiei guy. I guess they must have forgotten that he plays for Kasane's team, not ours."

"Hmph. Yeah. He plays for the other team, all right," Kuwabara muttered. Yusuke blinked.

"All right, why do I get the feeling that you're not talking about soccer anymore?"

"Because I'm not." Kuwabara locked eyes with Yusuke meaningfully, and the other boy tipped his head to one side.

"You mean he's gay?" Yusuke asked incredulously. Kuwabara nodded, and Yusuke leaned toward him. "How do you know that? What, did he ask you out or something?"

"Ew! What did you have to say that for?" Kuwabara demanded, his face contorting in a grimace. "That's gotta be the most disturbing image you have ever put in my head, and that includes the one about Ruka and the dog. And anyway, he doesn't need to ask me out. He already has a boyfriend."

"Really? Who?"

At that moment, they walked by a large group of upperclassmen. The seniors were all babbling happily about the soccer game. In the center of the flock, talking and laughing with everyone around him, was Minamino Kurama. Kuwabara nudged Yusuke with his elbow, and Yusuke protested loudly before seeing Kuwabara jerk his head in Kurama's direction. The two boys stared at Kurama as they passed.

"Minamino Kurama. That's who he's going out with," Kuwabara stated bluntly. "I saw them leave together after the soccer game."

Yusuke paused for a moment.

"Well, at least Jaganshi has good taste," Yusuke said reasonably. "I mean, if Kurama had boobs, I would drop Keiko in a heartbeat."

"Oh, Yukimura's not gonna like hearing that..."

"What's that supposed to mean? If you even think about telling Keiko, you're gonna look real funny walking around with your head shoved up your ass."

"Fine, okay, I guess I can keep quiet... If you buy me the new Megallica CD."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke entered Mr. Akashi's chemistry laboratory, their conversation turning away from Jaganshi Hiei and focusing on the abysmal grades they had received on the last test. Several minutes before the bell rang, a girl with brown hair that didn't quite reach her shoulders walked into the classroom, holding her folder and notebooks against her chest. Her eyes warmed when she caught sight of Yusuke, and she crossed the room to take the desk in front of him.

"Yo, Keiko. Did you do the math homework last night?" Yusuke asked when she had seated herself.

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if I could borrow your homework—"

Keiko smacked him over the head before he could even complete the sentence.

"Don't even think about it, Urameshi Yusuke. You're _not_ copying off of me," Keiko said petulantly. "If you want me to help you get the homework done, you can meet me on the bleachers during lunch."

A few hours later, Kuwabara and Yusuke grabbed their lunches and headed for the soccer field. Kuwabara sat down on the bleachers, munching on the cheesy bread he had bought in the cafeteria. He was clutching his jacket around his shoulders, since the wind was picking up and the weather was beginning to look stormy. Yusuke, meanwhile, had opened his math notebook and was staring blankly at the numbers.

"Yukimura's late. Do you know where she is?" Kuwabara asked, glancing at Yusuke.

"Keiko has a free block before lunch, so she usually volunteers at the elementary school across the street. She probably won't be here for another couple of minutes," Yusuke answered, peering down at his math homework. He skimmed through the problems and eventually huffed with frustration. "How does Keiko get this garbage, anyway? 'Write the square root of 192 in simplest form,' what the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You should try splitting that into smaller roots," a voice suggested. Kuwabara choked on his bread and Yusuke nearly dropped the notebook. They both turned to stare as Minamino Kurama walked toward them, his hands clasped neatly behind him and his long red hair flowing on the wind. He was wearing a blue jacket over his t-shirt. "Once you do that, it's much easier to simplify."

"Minamino? What are _you_ doing here?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama locked eyes with him.

"I... I came to ask you a favor, actually," Kurama said hesitantly. He ducked his head, and his cheeks reddened. "I, um, heard you talking about Hiei this morning. Please, could you not tell anyone about what you saw? He only recently came back from Kyoto, and he has already been having trouble making friends at Kasane. Rumors like that would only make it harder for him." The two younger boys stared as Kurama lowered his head even more. "I'll do anything you want. Just... Please, don't say anything?"

Kuwabara considered the older boy for a several moments, feeling bad for upsetting Kurama so much. Kuwabara did not know him personally, but Kurama was one of the most decent guys a person could meet. He was popular because he treated everyone as if they were a friend, and he was usually seen helping people with their homework or personal problems. To see Kurama reduced to this, all for the sake of that Kasane brat...

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Kuwabara said. Kurama glanced up, looking shocked, and Kuwabara shook his head as he thumped the older boy on the shoulder. "What you do with your personal life is none of my business. Urameshi's, either," Kuwabara added, shooting a warning look at Yusuke.

Kurama's shocked expression slowly melting into one of gratefulness.

"Thank you," he said, his voice wavery with relief. "I—I appreciate it." Kurama suddenly beamed. "You're Kuwabara Kazuma, aren't you? From the soccer team. Hiei told me—"

"Yeah, that I'm clumsy and that I trip over my own feet," Kuwabara said sourly, his pride smarting from the comment even now. Kurama blinked.

"No," Kurama said. "He told me that your coach is a moron and that he has you playing the wrong position. Hiei said that you have a very solid build, more for defense than offense." Kurama smiled, tossing a stray lock of hair over one of his shoulders. "Did you notice? He made a point not to get near you during the game. Urameshi, as well."

"I— Really?" Kuwabara asked, stunned. Kurama nodded, his smile widening.

"Hiei would never have told you that, of course. He doesn't tend to shower people with praise. Something about overconfidence ruining a good player, if I remember correctly." Kurama shook his head, as if he thought the concept was immature. He glanced at his watch. "Oh, sorry. I have to go now. Talk to you later?"

"Uh... Yeah, sure," Kuwabara said numbly. As Kurama began to walk away, Kuwabara took a few moments to bring himself back to his senses. As soon as he managed to come back to earth, he suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Kurama!" Kurama paused in his steps, and Kuwabara ran to catch up to him. "Um, if you're going out with Hiei, then you must know Yukina, right?"

"Yes," Kurama said, one of his eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"I, um, met her at the game yesterday, and I was just wondering if you knew anything about her."

Kurama nodded, seeming to understand what Kuwabara was asking.

"Yukina is a talented ice skater. Ask her to teach you. She would be more comfortable if she was in her element, and she would also appreciate that you have an interest in the same thing she does," Kurama said. He had a knowing smile on his face. "Normally Hiei wouldn't let anyone near Yukina, but if you want, I'm sure I can convince him."

_A/N: I'm not really satisfied with my writing, but the plot is progressing relatively according to plan. All in all, I'm glad I'm finished with this chapter. Please read and review, I'm dying of lack of attention._


End file.
